LOVE NEVER DIES Album Now Available in the Philippines

Universal Music Philippines has made it possible for local fans of Andrew Lloyd Webber to savor a thrilling sampling of music from "Love Never Dies", sequel to Webber's magnum opus "The Phantom of the Opera", a mere one week after the highly anticipated musical had its world premiere (March 9, 2010) at the Adelphi Theatre in London.  "Love Never Dies'" two-compact disc recording, featuring Ramin Karimloo as the Phantom and Sierra Boggess as Christine Daaé, is now available in local music stores. 

The love triangle between the Phantom, Christine, and Raoul ensues ten years after the Phantom vanished in his lair down below the Paris Opera House in 1881.  In "Love Never Dies", the Phantom has escaped to Brooklyn, New York and becomes a low-profile, freak show producer known as Mr. Y.  Unaware of the Phantom/Mr. Y's new ploy, Christine is invited to perform in "Phantasma," an attraction in Coney Island. For the first time, Christine travels to America with husband Raoul, and young son Gustave.

With conscious effort from Webber not to reprise  "All I Ask of You", "Music of the Night" or "Masquerade", etc.  in the new show, he still came up with a mixed bag of musical melodies touching on a variety of ballad themes ("'Til I Hear You Sing", "Beneath a Moonless Sky") operatic aria ("Love Never Dies"), and  pop/rock tune ("The Beauty Underneath"), much like its predecessor.  A new addition would be that of the circus ("Heaven by the Sea","Bathing Beauty") and waltz music ("Dear Old Friend") that bring life to the sights and sounds of Coney Island at the turn of the century.

David Cullen and Webber's orchestrations are lush and high on pop sensibilities.  The Phantom's brand new song of yearning "'Til I Hear You Sing", sung solidly by "The Phantom of the Opera" West End alum Karimloo, is totally breathtaking and an early Act One highlight. The rehashed aria "Love Never Dies" (originally released by opera singer Kiri Te kanawa as "The Heart is Slow to Learn"; and partly used in another Webber musical "A Beautiful Game"), now sung by soprano Boggess, is something to anticipate in Act Two, and a potential pop classical hit.

Not all is good though, "The Beauty Underneath" (Act One duet between the Phantom and Gustave) is trying too hard to be another rock showstopper as "The Phantom of the Opera" (Act One duet between the Phantom and Christine in "The Phantom of the Opera").

"Love Never Dies," the stage musical, has opened in the West End to mixed critical reviews:

"...This poor sap of a show feels as eager to be walloped as a clown in a carnival dunking booth. Why bother, when from beginning to end, 'Love Never Dies' is its very own spoiler," said Ben Brantley of The New York Times.

"There is much to enjoy in Andrew Lloyd Webber's new musical. The score is one of the composer's most seductive," according to Michael Billington of The Guardian. However, Billington added that, "The problems lie within the book, chiefly credited to Lloyd Webber himself and Ben Elton, which lacks the weight to support the imaginative superstructure."

Despite these not so favorable notices, the show's album has been climbing up the music charts not just in the United Kingdom's National charts (pegged at number 10 as of March 18, 2010) but also in Greece (number 1), Taiwan (number 14), New Zealand (number 8), and Denmark (number 15).

"Love Never Dies" is set to open on Broadway on November 11, 2010 and in Australia in 2011. 

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